Harvester-reel-operating mechanism.



A. B. MEINHARDT.

HARVESTEB REEL OPERATING MECHANIS'M.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10. 19I6.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

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A. B. MEINHARDT. HARVESTER REEL OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10, I916.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917;

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ADAM B. MEINHARDT, OF PAXICO, KANSAS.

HARVESTER-REEL-OPERATING MECHANISM.

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Patented Apr. 24, 191?.

Original application filed December 30, 1915, Serial No. 69,469. Dividedand this application filed. June 10, 1916. Serial No. 102,857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, ADAM B. MEINHARDT, residing at PaXico, in the countyof Wabaunsee and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Harvester-Reel- Operating Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inharvesters and it more particularly relates to the mechanism foroperating the reels of the same. The present invention is principallydesigned as a part of the complete harvester disclosed in my applicationSerial No. 69469, filed December 30, 1915, ofwhich application thepresent one is a divisional part.

My invention provides means, under control of the operator, whereby thespeed of the reel may be varied, as desired, for the reason that, theemployment of a one-speed reel (the common practice inharvesters in usetoday) causes much of the grain to be thrown to the back end of theplatform canvas and the grain being there elevated, finds its way intothe bundle above the tie band, thus providing unbound grain in thebundles which becomes lost as scatterings in the field when a bundle ishandled. This objectionable feature is avoided by the employment of myinvention.

The invention also resides in those novel detalls of construction,combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fullydescribed, and then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a detail plan view of a portion of the harvester with thepresent invention applied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view and part horizontal section of thereel gear drive and speed changing mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the reel gear shifting rod andthe latch and latch plate cooperating therewith.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig.2.

Referring now to the accompanying mission shaft 198 that is journaled ina bearing 202 and comprises the telescoping sections 201 and 203 anduniversal oint 199. 203 is the pinion carrying shaft of the change-speedgear mechanism, (see Figs. 2,

8 and 1).

By reference to Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive, the construction of the reelchange-speed gearing, which constitutes the present invention, will beclearly understood. The reel 20% (see Fig. 1) is of any desired tvpe andmay have its shaft secured to the shaft which is journaled in a bearing206, on the end of the upper or operators platform 207. While forpurposes of illustration, 1 have shown a reel coupled directly with thegearing 207, etc., yet, as I make no claims per se to the reelconstruction, I desire it understood that any well-known or approvedtype of reel may be used. either a reel of the relatively permanentlylocated type, or a reel of the adjustable type, which is swingablysustained to be raised or lowered and when the latter type of reel isemployed its shaft may be driven by a sprocket chain (not shown) takingover the sprocket 200.

The shaft 205 has a set of internal gears 207 and 210 inclusive on itsend the gears increasing progressively in diameter from the smallestgear 207 to the largest gear 210, the several gears being preferablyformed in a single shell and they are designed to be engaged by thedriving pinion 211 on the shaft 203, 212 is a bracket support (see Figs.2 and 3) which has a fixed standard 213 with a vertical slot 214 andwhich also has a removable standard 215 with a similar slot 214. A.vertically shiftable frame composed of sections 216-217, having lugs 218to enter the slots 214E, serves to sustain the pivoted gear advancingand withdrawing sector 223. The frame section 216 has a lateral arm 219(see Fig. 7) to which the yoke arm 220 (see Fig. 4;) is bolted and italso has an upward extension that terminates in a bearing 221 (see Fig.3) for the stub shaft 222 of the gear shifting sector. The sector 223has a gear cut face 224 (see Fig. 4) to engage the rack 225 of the box226 in which the shaft 203 is journaled, the shaft being held frommove-v ment axially in the box by a pin 227. The box 226 is sliclablycarried in a sling 228 which is suspended on lugs-229 that project fromthe opposing frame sections 216217.

The gear 211 is raised and lowered and shoved in and out to engage anyone of the gear surfaces 207210 inclusive, by a lever 230 that has a pinand slot connection 231 with the gear sector fulcrum end 232, the saidend being bifurcated to receive the end of the lever.

The lever 230 is so mounted as to have a turning movement on itslongitudinal axis and also a pivoted lnovement up and down, as will beclearly seen by reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5. The bracket 212 has ahole 233 through which the lugs 235 from a ring 234 project. The ring234 is held to swivel on its axis by a plate 237 that is held over it bybolts 238, the plate having a hole 239 for the lever to work through. Asthe lever 230 is held to its different positions by a latch device, theconstruction of which is best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, by reference towhich it will be observed that a plate 240 is sustained by arms 241 in afixed position and it has a vertical slot 242 through which the roundedpart 243 of the lever 230 passes. The plate 240 also has positiondetermining recesses 244 for the latch finger 245 of the latch 240. Thelatch 246 has a flange 247 to operate in the slideway 248 and it alsohas a rod portion 249 to move in the bearing 250, the latch beingprojected by a spring 251 located between the bearing 250 and a collar252 on the rod 249. The lever 230 has a handle 253 adjacent to theoperators seat, and it also has.

a latch operating lever 254 fulcrumed at 255 and connected by a rod 256with the latch member 249.

It will be observed from the foregoing that in order to change the speedof operation of the reel without stopping the shaft 192, the operatorsimply manipulates the lever 230, to raise or lower the shaft 203 andthe gear 211 and turns the lever 230 to move the gear 211 in or out intomesh with one or the other of the gear faces 207-208,

g 209, 210, as may be desired.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation andadvantages of my in vention will be readily understood by those skilledin the art.

What I claim is: I

1. In a mechanism of the character stated,

a drivingshaft having a pinion, a driven shaft provided with a set ofgear sections of progressively increasing diameter with any one of whichsaid pinion is adapted to mesh, of a lever operated device for raisingand lowering said pinion to aline with a predetermined gear section, andmeans operated by the said lever for advancing or withdrawing saidpinion to cause said pinion to mesh or unmesh with the particular gearsection desired. f

2. In a harvester, a driving shaft having a pinion, a reel rotatingshaft provided with a set of gear sections of progressively increasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted to mesh, of asupport, guide standards on said support, a vertically shiftable framemounted between said standards, a lever for raising and lowering saidframe, a horizontally shiftable bearing box for said pinion shaft, saidbox having a gear rack, a gear sector pivoted in said shiftable frameand engaged with said rack to advance or withdraw said pinion into orout of position with relation to the selected gear section, and anoperative connection between said sector and said lever.

3. In a harvester, a driving shaft having a pinion, a reel rotatingshaft provided with a set of gear sections of progressively increasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted tomesh, of asupport, guide standards on said support, a vertically shift able framemounted between said standards,

a lever for raising and lowering said frame, a horizontally shiftablebearing box for said pinion shaft, said box having a gear rack, a gearsector pivoted in said shiftable frame and engaged with said rack toadvance or withdraw said pinion into or out of position with relation tothe selected gear section, said lever being connected with said sectorand a rotatable fulcrum for said lever whereby the lever may be turnedon its axis to operate said sector as well as be moved to raise andlower said frame.

4. In a harvester, a driving shaft having a pinion, a reel rotatingshaft provided with a set of gear sections of progressively increasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted to mesh, of asupport having guide standards, a vertically shiftable frame mountedbetween said standards, a lever for raisingand lowering said frame, asling mounted in said vertically shiftable support, a horizontallyslidable bearing box for said driving shaft mounted in said sling, saidbox having a gear rack, a gear sector having a stub shaft journaled in abearing in, said vertically shiftable frame and engaging said gear rackto shift the same, said lever being connected to said sector adjacent toits stub shaft axis, a rotatable fulcrum for said lever whereby saidlever may be raised and lowered to shift said vertically shiftable frameand may also be turned to oscillate said sector.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a driving shaft having apinion, a driven shaft provided with a set ofv gear sections ofdifferent diameters with any one of which said pinion is adapted tomesh, a device for raising and lowering said pinion to aline with apredetermined gear section, a device cooperative with the aforesaiddevice whereby said pinion may be advanced or withdrawn to mesh orunmesh with the particular gear section desired, and a single operatinglever common to both of said devices for actuating the same.

6. In a harvester, a driving shaft having a pinion, a reel rotatingshaft provided with a set of gear sections of progressively increasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted to mesh, of asupport, guide standards on said support, a vertically shiftable framemounted between said standards, a lever for raising and lowering saidframe, a horizontally shiftable bearing box for said driving shaft, saidbox having a gear rack, a gear sector pivoted in said shiftable frameand engaged with said rack to advance or Withdraw said pinion into orout of mesh with relation to the selected gear section, an operativeconnec tion between said sector and said lever, and a latch device forholding said lever immovable in its gear-set positions.

7. In a harvester, a driving shaft having a pinion, a reel rotatingshaft provided with a set of gear sections of progressively increasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted to mesh, of asupport, guide standards on said support, a vertically shiftable framemounted between said standards, a lever for raising and lowering saidframe, a. horizontally shiftable bearing Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the box for said drivingshaft, said body having a gear rack, a gear sector pivoted in saidshiftable frame and engaged with said rack to advance or withdraw saidpinion into or out of position with relation to the selected gearsection, said lever being connected with said sector and a rotatablefulcrum for said lever whereby the lever may be'turned on its axis tooperate said sector as well as be moved to raise and lower said frame,and a latch device for holding said lever immovable in its gear-setpositions.

8. In a harvester, a drlvmg shaft having a pinion, a reel rotating shaftprovided with .a set of gear sections of progressively 1ncreasingdiameter with any one of which said pinion is adapted to mesh, of asupport having guide standards, a vertically shiftable frame mountedbetween said standards, a lever for raising and lowering said frame, asling mounted in said vertically shiftable support, a horizontallyslidable bearing box for said driving shaft mounted in said sling, saidbox having a gear rack, a gear sector having a stub shaft journaled in abearing in said vertically shiftable frame and engaging said gear rackto shift the same, said lever being connected to said sector adjacent toits stub shaft axis, a rotatable fulcrum for said lever whereby saidlever may be raised and lowered to shift said vertically shiftable frameand may also be turned to oscillate said sector, and a latch device forholding said lever immovable in its gear-set positions.

ADAM B. MEINHABDT.

Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

